Refuse official
resigns amid
allegationsThe state attorney general's office
is investigating the city supervisor
The city supervisor who allegedly ordered city workers to illegally bury crushed household appliances at the old Waipahu Incinerator site in 2001 has resigned.
Peter Kealoha, refuse disposal facility superintendent, ended 31 years and 10 months of employment with the city at the end of June, city spokeswoman Carol Costa said.
"The city and his union, Hawaii Government Employees Association, accepted his retirement on June 30, 2003, in lieu of disciplinary action," Costa said.
"All parties have accepted this resolution with the understanding that Kealoha has waived all return rights, will not seek future employment with the city and will not withdraw his application for retirement from the Hawaii Employees Retirement System."
In late February, environmental watchdog Carroll Cox told the state Department of Health that there were crushed household appliances buried next to the city's closed Waipahu Incinerator.
Resulting city and state investigations ultimately discovered and removed 214 tons of appliances and 6,000 empty propane tanks, which were recycled locally.
In addition, 84,000 pounds of soil and bricks with high levels of the toxic heavy metal cadmium were shipped to a hazardous-waste disposal site in Nevada, and more than 400 tons of nonhazardous waste from the incinerator and ash landfill were reburied properly at the city's Waimanalo Gulch landfill, said Steve Chang, chief of solid and hazardous waste for the Health Department.
The cleanup has cost the city $500,000 so far, Costa said.
On May 30 the state fined the city $542,459 for violating solid- and hazardous-waste rules at its Waipahu incinerator and landfill. The city is appealing the fine.
When the fine was announced, city Environmental Services Director Frank Doyle said, "We are disappointed that the state Department of Health has imposed this fine based on an unauthorized and irresponsible act of one city employee."
The city's internal investigation found that Kealoha had ordered the burials in an attempt to clean up the incinerator site.
Kealoha had been refuse disposal facility superintendent since 2000, overseeing city transfer stations for garbage trucks, waste diversion (white goods, composting and convenience centers), maintenance and landfills.
His earlier jobs with the city included truck driver, equipment operator and driver training instructor.
The salary range for the job classification Kealoha held on retiring is $3,558 to $5,480 per month, Costa said.
Kealoha has not responded to several requests for an interview since the illegal dumping was discovered and did not respond this week. Between March 1 and his resignation, Kealoha never returned to work, but had been on emergency and sick leave, paid administrative leave and, finally, unpaid administrative leave.
Doyle said yesterday the city investigation is continuing. The state attorney general's office is also investigating.
Doyle said he does not know whether the city will seek reimbursement from Kealoha for the costs it incurred cleaning up the illegally buried wastes. Doyle said the city is looking for a replacement for Kealoha.
